Page 261 of Broken Saint
“Fine. I’ll call Reid and get him to do it for you. Keeps you well out of it that way.”
I stare at her, wondering who Scarlett Legend really is. I know she and Kane have a dark past, but shit, she’s talking about killing someone like it’s an everyday occurrence.
“Who even are you?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at her.
“I’m joking, obviously.” She spins around and walks toward the room I want to knock into. “Kind of,” she adds.
“Anyway…” I continue giving her the official tour and attempting to explain my ideas. Just like I was hoping, she throws in a few of her own, especially when we get to the kitchen and living area.
“Open the whole thing up. If you’ve got a family, open-plan living is the only way to go. You can see what the little rugrats are doing then, know the instant they’ve gone quiet.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” I mutter.
“Trust me on this one. All these rooms are cute, but in the years to come, you’ll regret not doing it.”
“And you think that Ella will agree?”
Sure, I could video call her, walk her around and get her opinion. But I want this to be a surprise. I want it to be something that I’ve done for her, for our family, to prove my dedication.
“One hundred percent. Now, let’s talk kitchens,” she says, stopping at the counter in front of the stack of catalogs I left there. “Any ideas for style or color?”
Letty and I were still discussing details when the builder turned up, and she happily took the lead when explaining my—her—vision for the ground floor of my house.
The guy grimaced when she began demanding walls get removed. It was a far cry from what we’d discussed yesterday, but he embraced it—agreed even.
By the time we’d agreed on a plan, my appointment with Cassie, the team therapist, was looming. We agreed on an immediate start, and Letty and I left him to it.
He promised a completion date of four weeks. It seems like a lot of work for four weeks to me, but then I play football for a living, so what the hell do I know?
“Oh wow, you really don’t do things by halves, do you?” Cassie says after I’ve told her everything that’s happened recently.
“Apparently not.”
“You look good, too. Happier. Lighter.”
“I feel it,” I confess.
“After everything you’ve been through and said you don’t want, is that how you expected to feel?” she prompts.
“Honestly, no. But then…it’s Ella. Everything always feels right with her.”
“You’ve both got a long journey ahead of you. Both individually and as a couple.”
“We’re going to do what it takes. We’re not rushing things. She’s not ready to come back here yet, and I respect that. We’re just going to take things one day at a time.”
“I’m happy for you,” she says with a genuine smile. “How’s training going?”
Unlike previous sessions with Cassie, I spend almost our whole hour together talking. Nothing is forced or hard work; the words just roll off my tongue like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I want to say that it’s because in the past few weeks I’ve had more therapy than ever, but it’s not just that. Cassie is right. I’m happy. Genuinely happy. Things might still be up in the air with my relationship with Ella and certainly with my career. But for the first time ever, I know everything is going to be okay. As long as I have my girl by my side, then we can conquer whatever life throws at us. Together.
I’m about to leave the facility when familiar deep booming voices spill down the hallway, and not a second later, Luca and Kane stumble around the corner, their hair wet, fresh from the showers.
“Colton Rogers, long time no see,” Luca teases.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I hear you asked my wife to redesign your house,” Kane states.
“I wanted her advice on a few things that I thought needed a female touch.”